Wednesday, March 30, 2016

1:26 PM

Coming on the heels of Gov. Walker’s Monday endorsement, Ted Cruz rolled out his “Women for Cruz” coalition at a Madison event Wednesday.

In front of a crowd of about 300 at Madison’s Sheraton Hotel, the Texas senator focused on the central themes of his campaign -- jobs, freedom and security -- as issues that are just as important to women as men.

“Protecting the bill of rights, protecting life, protecting marriage, protecting our fundamental liberties -- all of that is at stake in this election,” Cruz said. “Those are women’s issues, those are men’s issues, those are adults’ issues, those are children’s issues, those are the issues for America.”

Cruz often surrendered the spotlight to former rival Carly Fiorina, wife Heidi and mother Eleanor, who spent much of their time warmly reminiscing on Cruz’s past track record of dedication to women.

Cruz’s wife Heidi, on whom businessman and Republican rival Donald Trump has threatened to “spill the beans,” praised her husband for his support throughout their marriage.

“[Cruz] is a husband who has suggested that I go for every single promotion that I’ve ever gotten,” Heidi Cruz said. “I’ve never met a man who is more thoughtful … of all women in his life. As voters, he will be equally thoughtful of you and your family.”

Despite one indirect reference to the New York businessman, Donald Trump was not mentioned.

In outlining the tenets of his constitutional conservatism, the Texas presidential candidate and Fiorina managed to criticize the Democratic Party and specifically Hillary Clinton, claiming they pigeonhole women’s issues.

“I find it insulting when the Democratic Party talks about women’s issues,” Fiorina said.

While the rally’s focus was on women voters in the state, Cruz, his wife and Fiorina wove in traditional conservative values -- family, faith, Second Amendment protections and deregulation -- throughout their hour-long discussion.

“At the end of the day it ain’t complicated,” Cruz said. “What we’re fighting for is this extraordinary experiment that is America. We are fighting for … what enabled these four extraordinary women to lead and accomplish their hopes and dreams, that [the] same opportunity is there for the next generation.”